The present invention relates to a machine for automatically peeling vegetables, particularly onions, and some fruits.
As shown in FIG. 6, an onion 1 comprises an outer skin 2 which is a thin outer layer of the onion 1, an inner skin 3 which is a layer inside said outer skin 2 and has a thickness of about 1 to 2 mm, and an edible portion 4 inside said inner skin 3. Needless to say, the outer skin 2 is not used for food. The inner skin 3 is not edible either because the inner skin 3 may be discolored or damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the outer skin 2 and the inner skin 3 before cooking the onion.
The onion is usually peeled as follows: First, the two ends, root and stem, (unuseable portions) 1a and 1b of the onion 1 are cut off along lines A and A' (FIG. 5); then, the outer skin 2 and the inner skin 3 are removed from the edible portion 4.
Some other vegetables, such as scallions, some fruits, such as pineapples, are usually peeled in the same manner as onions. First, both ends (unuseable portions) of the vegetable or fruit are cut off, and then the outer covering of the vegetable or fruit is taken off.
In any case, the peeling work is done by hand and requires much labor and time particularly when large quantities of vegetables or fruits are peeled.